How To Keep Your Mobile Hotspot Connected

Does your mobile hotspot keep turning off? If you are having mobile hotspot connection stability issues when sharing your wireless internet with your other devices, this guide is for you. Today, I will show you how to keep your hotspot connected for as long as you need it to.

Common Reasons a Mobile Hotspot Disconnects

The most common reasons a hotspot disconnects are as follows:

Your phone is set to turn off the hotspot automatically after a certain amount of time if no connected devices are active.
Your phone is in Low Power Mode or Data Saver Mode, which is turning off the hotspot.
Your hotspot usage has reached your preset limit (or the limit imposed by your carrier).
Your phone has no active data plan or no cellular connection.

Prevent Hotspot Timeout and Automatic Shutdown

The first step is to check your hotspot timeout settings to prevent your hotspot from shutting down.

On an Android:

Go to Settings > More Connections > Hotspot & Tethering (or search for Hotspot in your settings).
Click on Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Toggle off “Turn Off Hotspot Automatically” or change the timer, if available.

On an iPhone, there’s no setting for this. However, you can prevent your iPhone from turning off your hotspot by staying on the hotspot setting screen.

Alternatively, add a hotspot setting shortcut to your lock screen and turn on the hotspot from your lock screen, as some people have reported success with this method. To do that, long-press on your home screen, select Customize, select the space under the clock, and choose it from the Shortcuts section.

Disable Battery Saver and Low Power Mode

Battery saver and low power mode can both force the hotspot to close. That’s because the hotspot uses battery and a lot of data.

On an iPhone, go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode and turn off Low Power Mode. Then, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode and make sure Low Data Mode is not selected.

On an Android, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and toggle it off. Then, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Data Saver and turn it off. You might also find Data Saver under More Connections. If you can’t find it, search for “Data Saver” in the settings search bar, as different Androids may have the settings navigation set up differently.

Check Your Data Limits

On an Android, you can set a data limit for your SIM card in your SIM card settings. On many Androids, you can find this by selecting the SIM card, clicking on Data Usage, clicking on the settings icon in the top-right corner, and selecting Data Limit. Or, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Internet, tap on the settings gear icon, and then tap on Data Warning & Limit.

Your carrier may also have set a data limit. Some phone plans have data limits for hotspot tethering, even if they provide unlimited data for mobile usage. This is to prevent abuse. Other plans allow unlimited hotspot tethering but will throttle the speeds after a certain amount of data is used.

Check Your Cellular Signal Strength

How To Keep Your Mobile Hotspot Connected 3

You should also check your cellular signal strength. If your cellular signal is weak or if you don’t have an active data plan, your hotspot might not work. In that case, it will still probably be turned on, but it might seem as if it’s off because it’s not working, and the connected device might automatically switch to another network.

Restart Your Hotspot and Connected Devices

If your hotspot keeps disconnecting, you can also try restarting both your hotspot and connected devices. This also sometimes fixes hotspot issues.

On an iPhone, also try resetting your network settings. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that while this can fix hotspot issues, it also erases all network settings. You will need to reconnect to previously saved networks and enter their passwords again.

Using USB or Bluetooth Tethering as an Alternative

You can also try using USB tethering or Bluetooth tethering instead of using a wireless tethering method. For example, you can turn on the hotspot, connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable, and then toggle on USB tethering in your mobile hotspot settings. This kind of connection is often more stable than a wireless hotspot connection.

Managing Data Usage While Using a Hotspot

Remember, using a hotspot can use up your data plan if you have limited data. That’s because when you connect another device, it may think your hotspot is a Wi-Fi connection with unlimited internet and perform tasks in the background, such as operating system updates. To prevent that, most devices now allow you to select a connected Wi-Fi network as a “metered network.”

For example, on Windows, click on the information icon next to a network in the Wi-Fi list and toggle on “Metered Connection.” This tells your laptop that you are using a hotspot with limited data, so it reduces background processes. You can even set a manual limit by clicking on “Set a data limit to help control data usage on this network.”

If your device doesn’t have that option, though, Android lets you set data warnings and data limits as well. This can help ensure you either get a warning when you use too much data or you turn off mobile data once a certain limit is reached.

How Long Can a Mobile Hotspot Stay Active?

There is no hard limit on how long a mobile hotspot can stay active. However, your phone may turn the hotspot off automatically if you set a timeout limit on your Android and there are no connected devices, or if the battery is low. The tips in this article should help you keep your hotspot active longer.

Advanced Troubleshooting for Persistent Hotspot Issues

I already covered most of the troubleshooting steps to take if your hotspot keeps turning off. However, if all else fails, consider updating your operating system, restarting your phone, contacting your carrier for hidden hotspot usage restrictions, and trying a tethered USB connection instead of a wireless connection.

You might also consider using a dedicated portable hotspot device. These are small devices that you can put a SIM card into and create a portable wireless network. They typically have much longer battery times and won’t drain your phone’s battery. Many mobile providers offer dedicated plans for these.

Conclusion

I hope these hotspot connectivity tips helped you keep your mobile hotspot stable. If you are still experiencing issues, reread the article to see if you missed anything. Also, consider if you would benefit from a dedicated mobile hotspot device.